


We used to play pretend

by BrokenTailLights



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 4+1 Things, Coming Out, Fluff, M/M, Smut, the smut is literally just a blowjob
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 12:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7103905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenTailLights/pseuds/BrokenTailLights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Mali continues to catch her brother in compromising positions with his best friend, and Calum isn't sure how much longer he can hide things from his sister</p>
            </blockquote>





	We used to play pretend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [prettyluke (myhellismymind)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=prettyluke+%28myhellismymind%29).



> So i think i've actually been working on this for like a good eight months, (not consecutively, mind you) and it's finished and guess who is actually proud of something they wrote like?? yay me?? So i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed tearing my hair out over it
> 
> For Lia because it's basically the walmart version of the lashton thing she wrote that i loved so much I of course had to make a cheap malum version of it
> 
> Title taken from Stressed Out by twenty-one pilots

**1.**

"You know what? I'd totally marry these grapes" Michael says, his eyes lighting up brightly and a smile twitching at the corners of his upturned lips. The cheeky grin doesn't fade as he accepts another fruit into his mouth, his boyfriend's fingers lingering longer than necessary, and he nips at them, making the younger pull away with a burst of mirthful laughter.  
  
"I thought you were marrying me" Calum only mock pouts as he settles himself against Michael's chest, feeling contentment and tranquillity just by the slight skin contact. The touch of another human shouldn't affect him like this, not when there are layers of clothing between them, and it shouldn't cause such a big reaction. But it does, and he isn't sure whether the nagging tactility in his chest is fright or compassion.   
  
"Polygamy?"  
  
"Illegal?" Calum laughs at the upset expression on the green-haired-boy's face, eyes and hair almost the same colour by now. Calum wonders whether his boyfriend will ever stop dying it, and then ponders over whether or not he'd want him to. Either way, he's positive that there isn't a single shade in the universe, where when strewn over Michael's hair, it would look unappealing.   
  
"We could move to Burma?" Michael suggests, and Calum is confused until his scrambled self manages to differentiate between the conversation in his mind and the one on his lips.  
  
"Or you could dump the fruit? Which by the way..." Calum pauses to sit up and allows his hand to roam the empty bowl before slumping against the sanctuary of his boyfriend's chest once more "are finished. So you're stuck with me"  
  
"What a shame" Michael grins and Calum chooses to stick his tongue out in response.  
  
It's moments like these, that Calum appreciates most. When he's cuddled into warmth, and can almost feel the blaze of a fire in his heart, burning brighter as each second ticks by. However the fire is calm, and the sparks are calm, because there's just the right quantity of everything. He knows the fire won't melt his lungs or incinerate his liver, but rather will just increase within itself. And the cause; the cause would be the very boy whom he is currently flumped against, keeping the fire in his chest just about cool enough.  
  
A few seconds of a comforting, still silence, pass by in which Michael choses to reach for the younger's hand, entwining their fingers and smiling softly when Calum begins to fiddle with them. It's a habit he picked up about three months ago, when they first started dating, and Michael can't help but find it insanely cute. In fact, anything that Calum does is insanely cute, but  _this_ , this finger playing, yeah that is pretty cute.

"You're cute." Michael choses to voice his opinions and he doesn't regret the decision for a second, because a huge smile embraces the features of a boy in between his legs, when the two words slip past his lips,   
  
"You're cuter" Calum shoots back, and the elder laughs,  
  
"You're the cutest"  
  
"Am not" Calum whines, and then proceeds to bury his red face into Michael's chest which Michael feels provides adequate evidence that Calum is in fact, the cutest.   
  
"You're so cute" Michael repeats, although his voice has dropped slightly now, words whispered like sweet secrets between them, not even loud enough for the surrounding four walls to hear "See, you're being cute right now."   
  
"I'm not trying to be cute" Calum abortively replies, frowning when his boyfriend only chuckles.  
  
"No you were born cute."  
  
"Everyone's born cute, Mikey"   
  
"Not my cousin Ella." Michael pauses to grimace at an obviously disgraceful memory "She looked like some kind of half turnip when she was born. Come to think of it... She still somewhat looks like a turnip. Except, like a fully grown turnip now?" He stops before mumbling "Acts like a rotten turnip too."

It's Calum's turn to laugh at his boyfriend’s choice of wording, skin creasing in the corners of his eyes as he does so. And because he really can't help himself,   
  
"She probably took after you."  
  
Michael rolls his eyes excessively, until Calum is concerned that they might not come back if he rolls them around once more,  
  
"She didn't."  
  
"Well she obviously did. Your features sort of resemble a turnip"  
  
"Great. You're marrying a vegetable and I'm marrying a fruit"

Calum grins then, biting back a laugh as he bends his head back slightly to accept a kiss from his boyfriend,  
  
"I'm marrying you, and you're marrying me" He mumbles, and Michael simply smirks in response, pressing light kisses to Calum's mouth who accepts them happily.

"Calum?" A sudden shout is heard from the hallway, causing the kiwi boy to shoot up into a sitting position, any sense of romance now replaced with a completely platonic atmosphere. Michael's face holds nothing but confusion, however he isn't provided with very much time to react as Calum's sister is now walking into the room, shooting them a quick smile as she does so,

  
"Hey boys" She grins, bustling over to the coffee table.

The boys reply with a simultaneous _'Hey Mali'_ and Calum expects her to take whatever she needs and leave, but instead Mali straightens up and stares pointedly at something between her younger brother and his best friend.  
_Oh shit, their hands._

Michael seems pretty clueless, until Calum hastily untangles them and mutters a cheap excuse about being cold and not even realising as his sister only shakes her head before leaving the room.

Once she's gone, Michael sighs, raising an eyebrow,  
  
"You still haven't told her?" The confusion that had previously overtook his features has now been replaced with a look of understanding, and Calum can see that there's empathy in his green eyes, as well as a condoling smile settling on his mouth.

Calum bites his lip, avoiding the gaze of his boyfriend as he slowly collects his thoughts before voicing his response,  
"I haven't told  _anyone_ Mikey"

Michael sighs again, deeper this time, and it almost sounds impatient, causing fear to curl in Calum's stomach. He knows he's holding his breath- a nervous habit- but it almost feels like everything else in the room has sharply inhaled too. The unoccupied leather couch, the Van Gough painting on the wall, the vase of flowers in the left corner of the room.   
  
"The sooner you come out, the sooner I can tell my parents-"  
  
"I know,  _I know,"_ Calum groans "But you're already out, remember? You just have to introduce a new boyfriend."

"Calum-"  
  
"No, it's okay, I get it. I'll work on it though, and-" Calum's face holds an etch of worry and almost distress, the creases next to his eyes have travelled to his forehead, a serious expression replacing the fond. Michael wants to pull him back into his arms, despite it being a bit risky now that they're aware that they aren't home alone, "-and I'm sorry"  
  
"Don't apologise" Michael whispers softly, "you don't have to rush into anything you don't want to"   
  
Calum nods, eyes glued to the empty bowl on the coffee table, and he heaves in a sigh, although he doesn't return to Michael's arms, and he fights off the desperate inclination twisting inside him to do so.

 

**2.**

"Come closer" are the words Michael whispers softly on a Sunday evening, as the two boys lie on Calum's bed, laughter died out and secrets held close, they're simply lying in silence until Michel breaks it.  
  
"I am close" Calum whispers back, wary of breaking the almost tangible comfort that lies between them. He appreciates when there's a silence between him and his boyfriend, because it means dainty touches without words and soft smiles with no noisy laughter. He'd much rather feel compassion than have it spoken out loud to him,  
  
" _Closer_ " Michael insists, and the younger boy sighs, but shuffles  _closer_ to his boyfriend, so he now has delicate fingers on his waist and warm lips against his neck.  
  
Calum feels nothing at first, doesn't expect to, because Michael often demands for him to come closer only to hold on to him tightly like a life line, the way a collector does with their items, however they always seem to have a favourite, dusting it on the daily and often getting side-tracked within its beauty. He doesn't think he would mind being labelled under  _Michael Clifford's possessions,_ as long as he is the favourite.   
  
Nevertheless, a slow stripe is licked up the brown skin of his neck, and Michael choses to settle his lips just under Calum's ear, sucking softly before biting even softer. The kiwi boy releases a soft whimper, eyes drugged closed, as pretty pink lips bruise his skin. The sensation of those pretty pink lips is a feeling in which Calum finds himself wanting to live in forever, considering the pure bliss he perceives every time the sweet caresses are moulded into him. When his skin is a hash red, Michael nips softly once more to turn it a blemished purple, and then leaves a gentle kiss before pulling back.  
  
"I gave you your first hickey" He giggles into the silence, and Calum rolls his eyes before turning to face his giddy boyfriend,  
  
"It's not my first"   
  
"It's your first from  _me_ " Michael insists, although he begins to wish he hadn't, because Calum's next words, although unspoken, hang awkwardly in the once comforting silence.

_It's the first I'll have to hide.  
_

Calum knew it wouldn't take long for someone to see it. He was just hoping it would be Luke, so he could escape with a wiggle of the eyebrows and maybe a short teasing. He could deal with that. What he couldn't deal with, was his overprotective sibling asking way too many questions.

"Nice tattoo" she laughs when she first sees it, and Calum ignores her, hoping that she'll stop. She doesn't, obviously.  
  
"Where'd you get it?" She asks next, the question simple but the answer complicated.  
  
Calum decides to play dumb. If he acts as aloof as possible then maybe the blemish will come across less significant than it actually is.  
  
"Get what?" He asks, moving around his sister to grab the salt. With his parents being out for the day, they're currently preparing lunch, whilst he is faced with this unnecessarily harsh interrogation.  
  
"That huge ass love bite under your ear, don't feign innocence"

Calum sighs, fingers subconsciously moving over to the blotchy skin, where if he thinks hard enough he can imagine Michael's warm tongue sliding over his neck, peppering it with soft kisses-  
  
"Well?" Mali interrupts his thoughts "Does she have a name?" and Calum is genuinely confused for a moment until he realises that  _oh yeah,_  his family think he's straight.  
  
"I uh- I don't remember. It was at some party" he shrugs, avoiding her expression which consists of furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips. She's properly staring at him now; lost all interest in the pots and pans she'd previously been occupied with, and has instead turned that interest towards her younger brother. Calum decides he'd rather be in court.  
  
"You went partying on a school night?"  
  
Calum sighs once more, turning his back to his sister as he pretends to reach for a few things from the cupboard.  
  
In the end, he shrugs again,  
  
"Don't tell mum and dad?"  
  
She gives him another long look, and Calum is conscious of the fact that she knows him better than this. She knows that they spent every evening this week watching TV as a family, because Mali is only home for a few more weeks until she's back off to London. She knows that her brother would never party on a school night, because although he acts tough, he isn't reckless.  _She knows_. And if she remembers correctly, she chooses not to comment.  
  
Instead she gives her younger brother a third long, hard look, one of concern and confusion rather than disappointment and judgement. At this point, Calum isn't sure which he'd prefer more.   
  
In the end, she simply shrugs "Okay."

 

**3.**

"Okay, fuck" Michael whimpers out, fingers tangled in thick brown hair, as small, breathy pants escape his lips. He unscrews his clenched eyes to take in the sight of the beauty on his knees in front of him, lips coated around the tip of his dick, eyes hooded as he concentrates intensely on the order he'd been given, ten minutes prior.  
  
"You're d-doing so well" Michael encourages, his fingers picking at the sweaty fringe, damp across a clammy forehead "Don't stop"  
  
There's a falter in Calum's movements before he's suddenly sucking harder, fondling harsher and concentrating deeper. Michael feels completely weak as he loosens straight down Calum's throat, taking care not to choke him despite the little control he currently has over his body.  
  
"You're great" The older boy grins. His lips are bitten raw and his cheeks are flushed, eyes still dazzling with excitement as he reaches down to pull up his boxers and uniformed trousers before holding out a hand to his boyfriend, who accepts it gratefully.

Michael takes a second to examine the beauty, now level with him, eyes bright and shining, lips sinful and slick with saliva, coated an obscene shade of red. He knows it isn't wise, but Calum soon finds himself pressed against the door of the janitor's closet, Michael's tongue rubbing against his own, as a pair of teeth nip at his bottom lip. Calum feels as though the fire that was once in his chest has spread to his mouth, starting at the back of his throat but slowly making its way upwards until sparks can be perceived on the occlusal surface of his mouth, lighting up the roof and setting fire to his gums. The heat of the fire is what he feels most, as a tongue licks into his mouth, leaving a trail of gasoline that soon bursts into flames, making his mouth feel alight and brand new.  
  
Then suddenly there's blaring sirens and Calum feels himself hit the Earth's surface with a heavy  _thud,_ desperately trying to latch onto the heat of the blazing sun, keeping his eyes closed in hopes of returning-  
_"Calum"_  
  
The younger boy's eyes fly open, a desperate looking Michael standing in front of him, displaying the fact that that definitely wasn't the first time he'd called his name.  
  
"Are you okay?"   
  
Calum nods bewildered, and suddenly he feels cold. He feels cold and unprotected like something is supposed to be there but it's not. Like the sun has been removed from the galaxy, or the planets from their orbits. He realises then, that Michael has stepped a few feet away, hands no longer stuck to his hips, forehead no longer pressing against his own.  _His_  sun has been removed.  
  
"Your phone is ringing" Michael is speaking again, and Calum looks at him confused for a second, almost as if he's forgotten how to decipher such an easily understandable English sentence (which, if he's being honest, Michael probably has the ability to do)  
  
Calum eventually drags his gaze over to his bag in the corner of the closet, a shrill noise still emerging from it and for some reason his mind registers it as a siren.  
  
He doesn't look at Michael as he answers the phone, eyes glued to the floor as he stutters out a greeting to his sister.  
"Where are you Cal? You were supposed to be out here 15 minutes ago" She sounds impatient, and Calum starts to feel a little regretful, if it wasn't for the curiosity creeping into her voice,  
  
"I uh- I was talking to Luke- lost track of time"   
  
Mali hums on the other end, not sounding entirely convinced by her brother's petty excuse,   
  
"Okay, just get out here quick please"  
  
Calum doesn't reply, only cuts the call and shoves his phone back into his bag before turning back to face a wavering Michael.  
  
"I didn't mean to get you in trouble-"  
  
"It's okay" Calum quickly shakes his head before the green-haired boy can apologise fully "This was my idea, remember?"  
  
Michael laughs, stepping forward once more before dropping a kiss on his boyfriend's lips,  
"You have good ideas" He grins before stepping out the closet, and when he counts to the fifth minute, Calum follows.  
  


"Cal!" Calum turns to see a familiar blond making his way over to him and he grins brightly, slowing his steps in order for the taller boy to catch up with him.  
  
"Luke" He grins, "Dude, I haven't seen you all day"  
  
"Yeah I-" Luke pauses to look up, feeling another presence, and Calum suddenly feels like disappearing. He can't even kid himself that Mali didn't hear his previous sentence, as he gulps almost audibly, feeling the fire in his throat wash out instantly,  
  
"Hey Luke" she grins at the oblivious boy who grins back, returning the greeting before excusing himself. Calum watches his friend run up to his boyfriend, who kisses him softly, before taking his hand and walking with him. He quickly looks away.  
  
"Come on Cal," His sister is calling from a distance now and he hurries to follow her, not even bothering making up an excuse about what he was watching.  
  
The ride home is silent, although the constant flicker of Mali's eyes towards him speak louder than any vocalised words ever could. And despite the silence, Calum feels as though he's drowning in noise.

 

**4.**

"Michael!" Calum manages to gasp out in shock, before pulling the grinning boy inside "What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
Michael grins cheekily, hands coming to rest at his boyfriend's hips who doesn't even seem to realise as he continues to glare,  
"Thought I'd drop by" He continues to grin "I missed you"  
  
"Mike, you can't just-"  
  
"Michael?"  
  
Calum pauses and turns abruptly to face the familiar sight of his sister, staring curiously at her brother and his best friend- once again in a position that seems just a little too close for  _just_   _friends._  She raises an eyebrow at their stance, and they quickly pull back, Michael almost raising his arms as if in surrender. She doesn't question it, and Calum feels his stomach churn but his heart beat relax slightly. He'll tell her. Soon.  
  
"Are we still up for that trip?"  
  
"Oh!" Michael seems to speak for the first time since he saw Mali, breaking out of the small trance he had bewitched himself with upon her presence, "Did you have plans? I'll see you later then-"  
  
"Don't be silly" She laughs, ruffling his hair as she walks past "You're coming with us."  
  
Neither boy even thinks about protesting.  
  


***  
  
"Double chocolate, please" Michael shoots the girl over the counter a bright smile- his natural joy shining in a place where he really belongs: the ice cream parlour. He'd been bright and bouncy ever since they left the house, never really one to settle for a frown, especially in public. Michael had chattered effortlessly with Mali all the way to the parlour, and she'd nattered right back, leaving Calum slightly lost and left out. He could have easily contributed had he wanted to, but his mind had been preoccupied with other things. More specifically, coming out to his sister sort of things.

"Sure" Calum doesn't miss the way that the young girl behind the counter flicks her hair as she sets about making his boyfriend's cone. He wants to flick her hair straight in her eyes in hope that she falls. Maybe even flick some of that ice cream straight in her face so she'll make a bigger fool out of herself. He wants to flick and trick and completely  _shame_  her for flirting with his boyfriend, because Michael is  _his_. Even if it is almost completely obscure.  
  
He doesn't realise the daggers he's been throwing at her until a firm grip on his arm brings him away from making a mental, human ice cream sundae out of the innocent girl, and back into reality.  
  
"What?" He snaps, turning to face the owner of the hand- who is of course, Mali.  
  
"Chill out" She laughs, although it's uncertain and laced with something ambiguous "Did she steal your animal crackers as a kid?"  
  
"Who- no. She was straight up flirting with-" he catches himself just in time, the words almost slipping straight past his lips and into the exposed air, and he knows he'd be unable to take them back or justify them if they’d been flaunted. His heart beat picks up again, however, when his sister eyes him curiously, obviously disappointed that he didn't complete his sentence.  
  
"Why is it so bad if she flirts with him?" She asks almost nonchalantly, like she doesn't care for the answer and she won't even remember it by tomorrow. If Calum didn't know her any better, he'd believe her act.  
  
"Because he's- he's not straight" He blurts out in the end,  
  
"Michael's bi, isn't he?"  
  
Calum halts. What is Michael? Scratch Michael, what is Calum? Never in a million years did he think he'd be having a sexuality crisis in an ice cream parlour,  
  
"I don't know." He settles for finally, "I'm not sure" And the look his sister gives him makes him question just what he gave an answer to.

  
Calum insists on eating their ice-creams outside (obviously because it's warm, and not because the girl behind the counter hadn't stopped staring at his man ever since their fingers brushed slightly when she gave Michael his ice cream)  
Calum manages to squeeze Michael's fingers against his own when Mali gets up to get herself a napkin. It feels good, Michael's warm fingers between his own, a strong and protective grip that will probably always make him feel secured. Like even though the fingers between the spaces of his own are simply that, they're not only filling up bits between his hands but also between his heart and mind.

Calum should be worried that his sister is due to return any second, or that anyone they know could walk past at any given moment, but for a few minutes he decides to drop the tension that he constantly carries, and simply relax. It feels good to let go of his burdens for a small amount of time, and even though it doesn't feel like the weight has been lifted completely, it feels as though someone else is temporarily carrying it for him, whilst he sorts through his mind and grips harder on to the pale fingers entwined with his own. The smile that graces the red-head's features when Calum takes his hand is definitely worth the risk.  
  
"You're hot when you're jealous, you know" Michael says suddenly. Calum flares up,  
  
"I was  _not-"_  
  
"Don't even bother" Mike laughs teasingly, although the squeeze he gives his boyfriend's fingers keeps Calum in place,  
  
"She had no idea what she was doing." Calum opts for instead "Sucked at being subtle." He licks absentmindedly at the ice cream in his cone that's slowly beginning to drip. He barely notices its melting state.  
  
"You suck too." Mike says after a pause,

"You like it when I suck" Calum retorts, and he's all prepared for the laugh to escape his boyfriend- except when it does come, it sounds oddly feminine and horrifyingly familiar.  _Fuck._  
  
"I don't even want to know what you meant by that" Mali shakes her head, still laughing and Calum begins to wish that he also, was a human ice cream sundae.

 

**1.**

He has to tell her. Calum isn't sure how much longer he can take without throwing up his deeply buried secret. The secret doesn't even feel buried in his mind and heart anymore, rather it's taken up every inch of his body, spreading through his limbs, stomach, and rising like bile in his throat. If he doesn't spit it out, he'll end up sick.  
  
There's a few ways he could reveal it. Maybe, he could wait for her to find out herself. But that would cause disappointment and worse- rejection. He knows Mali isn't unsupportive, but he doesn't know just  _how_  supportive she is.  
  
Mali is, of course, the first person Calum claims to tell. If it goes downhill, she'll also be the last.  
  
Mali-koa Hood. The girl who helped Calum with his first steps, first words, first day of school, first day of the world. She was there when he fell, not necessarily to pick him up and get him back on his feet- but she was there, and that's all he ever needed. She was his partner in crime, his best and worst friend, by blood and by heart, his favourite piece in their family jigsaw. He loves his mother and he loves his father. But his sister; Mali would always understand. She would always be there, she'd promised as such when they were children. That she'd never leave his side, even if he became an axe murderer. They'd giggled about it then, but now- reminiscing those words brought Calum comfort, sending small amounts of relief to each inch of his skin. For he was not an axe murderer, but he _was_ in love with Michael Clifford. And he was pretty sure the second wasn't as vile as a crime as the first, if at all.  
  
Seeing her so careless and at ease brought another wash of relief over Calum's dehydrated, stress controlled body. Mali lay on her stomach on the living room sofa, watching reruns of **FRIENDS** , and obviously avoiding her homework.  
  
It was now or never.  
  
"Mali?" He said walking forward slowly, "Can- can I tell you something?"  
  
She swivelled her head slightly to face him, and Calum was sure she'd swivel it right back had she not noticed the worry etched into his face, and the almost despairing look in the eyes identical to her own. He was aware just how frightened he probably looked right now, like he'd just been given the news that someone had died or that dogs were now extinct. He hoped Mali wouldn't react to his  _real_  news as she would towards any of those two.

Pausing her show, she scooted over on the couch, motioning for him to sit down, although he refused- determined to spit out the bile before he made himself comfortable, or worse, forced it back down his throat.  
  
"I like boys." He blurted out finally; eyes squeezed shut and fists in tight little balls by his sides. He was beginning to feel a tremble in his voice and a shake in his legs, in fact, his whole body was on the verge of turning into a shaking mess, but he managed to swallow the horrendous ball of fire that was fuelling in his throat, and pushed on "I- I think I might like girls too, but I'm certain I like boys and well, a specific boy- Michael. Michael Clifford is my boyfriend."  
  
An awful silence hung in the room, one of suspense held within thick clouds of anticipation, in which Calum didn't even dare to open his eyes despite the nagging feeling in his mind telling him he probably should considering he'd come here for a reaction, yet now he was too afraid to face it. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed for long enough, the ground would get the hint and swallow him whole.  
  
"It's okay" The two words were spoken softly, although when they reached him, it felt like being wrapped in a blanket of comfort and cuddled close to condolence, whilst simultaneously being handed a steaming cup of reassurance. Calum, in that moment, was sure that there was no better feeling "There's nothing wrong with that. You like boys? So do I." She paused "If it isn't weird for me, then it isn't weird for you. Simple, right?"  
  
Calum, finally gaining the courage to open his eyes, took one look at her reassuring face and breathed the biggest sigh of relief he'd ever exhaled since he was fifteen and found himself frightened over the thought that boys could be pretty too.  
  
"Right." He agreed finally.  
  
"I love you Cal," She said, finally swivelling back to her show "And no preference of yours is going to change that."


End file.
